Red-card climax to dull derby draw

EXETER CITY 0 TORQUAY UNITED 0

Sunday 7 April 2002

Referee: M Fletcher

Att: 3580 with 852 away fans

Televised game/match on Westcountry TV.

By DAVID THOMAS, Herald Express.

Quote  what they expected to find is anybody's guess, but I can reveal that the Football League's drug-testing unit chose St. James Park for one of its "raids" yesterday. They must have been taking...well, shall we say, the mickey After this apology for a derby, the boffins should have seriously considered looking for performance-damaging substances. For when Exeter City and Torquay United kicked off for the 96th time with league points at stake, all the brave attempts to bill the match as more than a meaningless, end-of-season affair were blown away on the wind which helped to destroy the game as a spectacle. It may take its place in the history books as the occasion when United racked-up their sixth successive "clean-sheet", and once again all the honours went to the men at the back. But the armchair fans watching live TV coverage at home must have wondered whether the garden centre might not have been a better bet after all. United had the better of the first half, with the wind behind them. City edged the second and hit the post through ex-Gulls man Paul Buckle. And in a final act which just about summed up what had gone before, City's Kwame Ampadu and United's David Graham were both sent off in the last minute. "Handbags" hardly does. justice to what a self-respecting housewife might manage when she's riled. Let's just say that Graham and Ampadu - one kicked out and the other tried a failed headbutt were more embarrassed than defiant afterwards. United manager Roy McFarland alleged later that City had tried to "bully" his team, and in the first quarter- of-an-hour the Grecians did go well through with a couple of challenges which they could have checked. Most, like one by Ampadu on Graham, caused little or no damage, but another, by ex-Gull Alex Watson on Andrew Martin, certainly did. moments later Martin was led off with a split nose and replaced by Tony Bedeau. Referee Mick Fletcher has never been a favourite with Torquay fans, since that ball-to-hand penalty against Jon Gittens which decided the 1998 Play-Off Final against Colchester. Watson was one of United's angry players at Wembley that night, but he was lucky that Mr. Fletcher either didn't see or took a lenient view of his challenge on Martin yesterday. What quality there was in the first half was mostly down to United. A good break between Lee Canoville and Bedeau down the right set up Marcus Richardson for a cross, slightly overhit, which went begging in the 20th minute.  David Woozley, recalled in a reshuffled defence, also headed an Alex Russell corner over when he should have hit the target in the 35th minute. But just before half-time City came back into it, and when United could not clear an Andy Roscoe free-kick, Neil Whitworth's volley hit Reuben Hazell and rebounded into goalkeeper Kevin Dearden's arms. Hazell also came up with an important covering tackle as Graeme Tomlinson closed in. Hazell, Woozley and Sean Hankin were the undoubted stars of the second-half performance as City, without ever convincing themselves or their supporters that they could do it, pressed forward in the second half. Two more full-blooded, entirely fair tackles by Watson were enough to persuade Graham that discretion was the better part of valour. Roscoe had a 25-yarder deflected just wide. Hankin with a block and Hazell with a full-stretch clearance rescued two other dangerous situations. And Kevin Hill threw himself into two gutsy tackles to help make up for a heading mistake with 20 minutes to go.

A series of substitutions by both sides included sending on former City midfielder Jason Rees for Richardson and pushing Graham up front in the 73rd minute. But it was City who went closest to scoring, when Geoff Breslan found Buckle in space on the right and he hit a cross-shot which curled against the left-hand post and away to safety.

To end it all, Graham kicked out after taking exception to another Ampadu challenge, Ampadu reacted with what looked like a "headbutt" and down went Graham. Mr. Fletcher consulted the linesman before sending them both off. Red faces all round and automatic suspensions as a result. 

MATCH FACTS

Exeter City (3-5-2):
Van Heusden; Watson, Burrows, Whitworth; Buckle, Cronin (Barlow 26mins), Ampadu, Richardson, Roscoe (Bresian 79mins); Tomlinson, Flack (McCarthy 71mins);
subs not used - Fraser (gk), Goff.

Torquay United (3-5-2):
Dearden; Hazell, Woozley, Hankin; Woods, Canoville, A.Russell, Graham, Hill (Goodridge 85mins); Richardson (Rees 73mins), Martin (Bedeau 18mins);
subs not used-Griffiths (gk), Ashford.

Referee: Mr. M. Fletcher (Warley).

Sending-Off:
City - Ampadu (violent conduct 90mins); United - Graham (violent conduct 90mins).
Bookings:
City - Burrows (foul 52mins);
United - A. Russell (foul 72mins).

Attendance: 3,580.

Statistics:
Fouls - City 13, United 13;
Offsides. City 5, United 1;
Corners. City 4, United 3;
Shots/Headers On Target -
City 2, United 1;
Off Target City 4, United 4;
Hit Woodwork - City 1, United 0.
Goals: None.